How to Hang a Door Using Antique T Hinges

A lot of our most popular ironmongery products are door furniture so we thought we’d take a minute to guide you through how to hang a door. Replacing your existing door hinges with decorative wrought iron T hinges is a simple DIY project that can transform the look and feel of your home.

Door Sizing

If you are fitting a new door, be aware that internal doors typically come in three standard widths. Make sure you have measured the old door or the door frame to ensure you are using the correct size door. If you are fitting a standard door there is usually up to 10mm that you can  trim from the edges to get a perfect fit. If you have an older property you may find your door sizes are very non standard and may need to get a door specially made.

Hinge Positions

Hinges are usually positioned 15cm down from the top and 22.5cm up from the bottom of the door. For a heavy door such as a fire door, a third hinge can be placed equidistant between these two. For decorative hinges, sizing on modern standard doors is purely an aesthetic consideration. Usually an 18 inch strap or T hinge would be suitable for a standard sized door but you may like to use a template to see what would look best on your door before you buy.

Make yourself a cup of tea

Hanging a door is a straightforward project but definitely requires tea to be on hand.

  1. Remove the old door. If you are reusing the door and just replacing the hinges skip to step 4.
  2. Measure the door and allow for a 3mm gap on both sides of the door in the frame as well as at the top. The gap at the bottom will depend on your floor covering but should end up being 3mm above the finished floor.
  3. Plane or saw the door edges back to the required sizing and place it back in the frame.
  4. Position your hinges on the door frame and mark with a pencil the area to be chiselled out and recessed. Mark also on the door where the new hinge will need to be attached.
  5. On the door frame use a sharp chisel to make two cuts at either end of the hinge positions. Run a stanley knife along the long side of the pencil line between the two chiselled cuts. Remove the wood inside this area with the chisel, cutting down to the correct depth for the hinges.
  6. On the front of the door drill pilot holes for the decorative T hinges to be attached and fix using vintage oiled wood screws for an authentic look.
  7. Now present the door up to the frame again and line up the the other half of the hinge with the newly chiselled slot. Drill pilot holes and fix to the frame.

Decorative Hinges

Don’t forget that our decorative wrought iron hinges come in a wide range of sizes and styles. Whether you are looking for plain penny end style hinges or a more opulent look with a fleur de lys design The Rustic Merchant’s range of hand forged wrought iron strap hinges and T hinges make a fabulous addition to your door.